Section 2: Assessment & Case Planning

II. Responsivity

Matching Offenders, Incentives, and Services

Services consist of two types: incentives and treatment.

  1. Incentive services are designed to shape offender behavior to reinforce positive outcomes.
  2. Treatment services are designed to change the offender's intrinsic impulses and controls by providing the offender with techniques to alter responses. Good interventions require a mix of incentives and treatment services.

Finding the right mix of services for an offender increases the opportunity for offender change and reduces the likelihood of recidivism. Services should be tailored to where the offender is in the stages of change. Many factors determine the right interventions. These factors include offender motivation, interests, learning styles and abilities. The adage "different strokes for different folks" is a useful way of thinking about this concept.